Short message service system

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and computer program for proving a short message service (SMS) message was sent and received. The computer-implemented method includes: designating a message type for the SMS message, wherein the message type includes a normal type and a legal type; in response to designating a legal type for the SMS message, changing a header for the SMS message, wherein the header indicates that the SMS message should be stored; storing the SMS message with a trusted authority; and sending the SMS message, from a sender, to a receiver.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method of proving a short message service (SMS) message, the method comprising:
 designating a message type for the SMS message, wherein the message type includes a normal type and a legal type, wherein the legal type SMS message designation indicates that the SMS message is to be sent from a sender to a receiver, and sent to a trusted authority for storage, and wherein the normal type SMS message designation indicates that the SMS message is to be sent from the sender to the receiver, and not sent to the trusted authority for storage; 
 in response to designating the normal type of the SMS message, sending the SMS message from the sender to the receiver; and 
 in response to designating the legal type for the SMS message:
 changing a header for the SMS message to indicate that the SMS message should be stored; 
 storing the SMS message with the trusted authority; 
 sending the SMS message from the sender to the receiver; 
 generating, by the trusted authority, a certificate indicating that the SMS message has been delivered to the receiver; and 
 providing the certificate or a link to the certificate to the sender. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the header for the SMS message includes an amount of time to store the SMS message with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the header includes a Boolean to indicate whether the SMS message should be stored with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the header for the SMS message includes a user identification. 
     
     
       5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising registering a device of the sender with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein a device of the sender includes a graphical user interface. 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising displaying a certification on the graphical user interface of the sender device to prove that that SMS message was sent by the sender and delivered to the receiver. 
     
     
       8. A system, comprising:
 a client application stored in a computing device of a sender device for:
 designating a type of a SMS message, the type including a normal type and a legal type, wherein the legal type SMS message designation indicates that the SMS message is to be sent from a sender to a receiver, and sent to a trusted authority for storage, and wherein the normal type SMS message designation indicates that the SMS message is to be sent from the sender to the receiver, and not sent to the trusted authority for storage; 
 
 a SMS service center for, in response to designating the normal type of the SMS message, sending the SMS message from the sender to the receiver; and 
 the SMS service center for, in response to designating the legal type for the SMS message:
 changing a header for the SMS message, to indicate that the SMS message should be stored; 
 storing the SMS message with the trusted authority; 
 sending the SMS message to the receiver; and 
 providing a certificate generated by the trusted authority, or a link to the certificate, to the sender device, the certificate indicating that the SMS message has been delivered to the receiver. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the header for the SMS message includes an amount of time to store the SMS message with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the header for the SMS message includes a user identification. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the header includes a Boolean to indicate whether the SMS message should be stored with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 8 , further comprising registering the sender device with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , further comprising displaying a certification on the graphical user interface of the sender device to prove that that SMS message was sent by the sender and delivered to the receiver. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the sender device includes a graphical user interface. 
     
     
       15. A computer program comprising program code embodied in at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, which when executed, enables a computer system to prove a short message service (SMS) message, the method comprising:
 designating a message type for the SMS message, wherein the message type includes a normal type and a legal type, wherein the legal type SMS message designation indicates that the SMS message is to be sent from a sender to a receiver, and sent to a trusted authority for storage, and wherein the normal type SMS message designation indicates that the SMS message is to be sent from the sender to the receiver, and not sent to the trusted authority for storage; 
 in response to designating the normal type of the SMS message, sending the SMS message from the sender to the receiver; and 
 in response to designating the legal type for the SMS message;
 changing a header for the SMS message to indicate that the SMS message should be stored; 
 storing the SMS message with the trusted authority; 
 sending the SMS message from the sender to the receiver; 
 generating, by the trusted authority, a certificate indicating that the SMS message has been delivered to the receiver; and 
 providing the certificate or a link to the certificate to the sender. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The computer program of  claim 15 , wherein the header for the SMS message includes an amount of time to store the SMS message with the trusted authority and a user identification. 
     
     
       17. The computer program of  claim 15 , wherein the header includes a Boolean to indicate whether the SMS message should be stored with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       18. The computer program of  claim 15 , further comprising registering a device of the sender with the trusted authority. 
     
     
       19. The computer program of  claim 15 , further comprising displaying a certification on a graphical user interface of the sender device to prove that that SMS message was sent by the sender device and delivered to the receiver.